November 17, 2025 • 12 mins
In today's episode, we read the Eight of Cups as a map for honest departures, exploring misalignment, emotional regulation, and the rituals that help us leave with love. We name the subtle signs that it’s time to go and offer reflection prompts to restore coherence.
DECK: Light Seer's Tarot
For a closer look at the cards, follow me on Instagram @the_cardcast. For more about mental wellness and psychology, sign up for my newsletter at www.natashasheyenne.com.
Thanks for listening!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
Hi there, and welcome to the Cardcast.
I'm Minutes, and I'm so gladyou're here.
Together, we explore the art ofnoticing.
(00:40):
And let's see what today's cardhas to offer.
This week, we turn to one of themost hauntingly beautiful cards
in the tarot, which is the Eightof Cups.
And we're using the Lightseer'starot today.
In the image, we see a lonefigure who walks away beneath a
(01:02):
fading sky.
Behind them, a line of cups,once full, are now left behind.
And ahead, distant mountains andthe first just light of dawn.
Behind the figure, one cup stillburns.
There's a small fire floating inthe water, the last ember of
something that once mattereddeeply.
(01:26):
This is not a card of endings somuch as it's a card of honest
departures.
The moment when you realize thatstaying would mean shrinking.
The Eight of Cups is quiet, butit's not gentle.
The figure is walking alone,which suggests solitude, but not
(01:47):
despair.
And it's the moment afterclarity when the truth has
settled in and there's no goingback.
Boy, do I feel this card rightnow.
The cups represent emotionalinvestments, our relationships,
careers, roles, identities,things we've poured our time and
our care and our hope into.
(02:10):
The water mirrors the emotionallandscape, reflective but heavy
and rippled by the choice tomove on.
And then I mentioned that smallfloating flame.
That's the paradox of grief andcourage coexisting.
Something ending yet stillglowing with meaning.
It's the reminder that leavingwhat no longer fits doesn't
(02:34):
extinguish love or gratitude.
It just honors growth.
The horizon on the card, bathedin that early light, signals
transition.
We don't yet know where we'reheaded, only that we can't stay
where we've been.
The Eight of Cups speaks to thatsubtle but unmistakable tension
between your outer life and yourinner truth.
(02:57):
That moment when you realizethat what once fueled you now
quietly drains you.
(03:42):
And there's just, like I said,there's just something that's
just not enough anymore.
So in behavioral psychology,this is called that cognitive
emotional mismatch.
So when your actions andenvironment and relationships no
(04:03):
longer align with your deeperneeds and values.
I know for me it feels dramaticbecause it's happening
internally, and that inneralchemy always feels dramatic.
But typically for me and formany others, it usually begins
quietly.
So you start to feel it in thesesmall but ordinary ways.
(04:25):
You wake up already tired, eventhough you slept fine.
You find yourself scrollinginstead of engaging.
You dread conversations thatused to excite you.
Your patience runs thin inplaces that once made you feel
proud.
Or you show up to meeting yoursocial events smiling, but
(04:47):
inside you feel like you'rewatching yourself perform a
version of who you used to be.
At work, it might look likedoing great things that no
longer feel meaningful.
Meeting goals that once thrilledyou could leave you feeling
flat.
So you're still achieving, butit doesn't register as
fulfillment anymore.
(05:08):
And in relationships, it mightlook like nodding along to keep
the peace, even when your truthsits heavy in your throat, or
realizing that you're spendingmore energy maintaining harmony
than feeling connection.
And I know for me, and thentypically this of course can
happen for others, is that evencreativity feels different.
(05:30):
The ideas are there, but thespark isn't.
And then you might feel guiltyor not feeling like you're
grateful, even though youshould.
So that's the mismatch.
The external self and theinternal self have drifted
apart.
Over time, this misalignment canmanifest as burnout, as
(05:52):
irritability, or emotionalnumbness.
So you're not broken, you'rejust out of sync.
Your nervous system is trying totell you this version of life no
longer fits.
Walking away, though painful, isan act of regulation.
It's a way of restoringpsychological coherence.
(06:16):
When you've been holding on toolong to a role, to a dream, a
relationship, an identity, youstart to split inside.
One part of you keeps showing upbecause it's familiar,
responsible, or even expected.
And the other part of youwhispers, this isn't working
anymore.
And that tug of war createstension that slowly seeps into
(06:40):
everything.
You'll start to notice it inyour mood, in your focus, in
your energy, and even in yoursense of self.
You start to feel restless, evenin stillness.
You can't relax on your daysoff.
You catch yourself zoning outmid-conversation or resenting
things you used to enjoy.
And your smile still works, butit doesn't reach as far as it
(07:03):
used to.
And those are signs of thisinner dissonance.
Your mind and your heart are outof sync.
In psychology, regulation meansreturning to balance.
So that's bringing yourthoughts, emotions, and
behaviors back into alignment.
And sometimes the mostregulating thing you can do
isn't to breathe through it orfix it or reframe it.
(07:26):
Those things can certainly bemitigation techniques.
But sometimes the mostregulating thing is to walk away
from what's breaking you, what'sbreaking your peace.
So leaving, like I mentionedearlier, it doesn't mean you
stop caring.
It means that you've stoppedoverriding yourself.
(07:46):
It's choosing integrity overimage and alignment over
approval.
And there's always grief in itbecause in every ending, even
the right ones, they all costsomething.
You'll miss the routine, theidentity, the comfort.
But there's a kind of peace thatcomes the moment you stop
(08:07):
negotiating with something thatisn't working.
That moment right there isregulation.
That's the body unclenching, themind exhaling, and the spirit
remembering what truth feelslike.
The moment you honor that voice,even if you don't act on it yet,
something inside you will startto settle.
(08:29):
You stop feeling like you'reliving two lives, the one
everyone sees, and then the oneyou actually feel.
And that's what coherence is: your inner and outer worlds (08:36):
undefined
finally lining up again.
So, yes, walking away can breakyour heart, but staying in
misalignment breaks your spirit.
One is pain that heals, and theother is pain that lingers.
Regulation is choosing the painthat's going to lead you home.
(09:00):
And that's the quiet power ofthis card.
It honors the emotional labor ofleaving.
Because to walk away consciouslywithout bitterness or blame is
to engage in one of the mostadvanced forms of emotional
intelligence.
On a magical level, the Eight ofCups, it's a pilgrimage.
(09:20):
It's the spiritual act ofrelease, of letting something
die beautifully.
In ritual work, this could looklike a ceremonial goodbye,
right?
Lighting a candle for whatyou're leaving, writing a letter
of gratitude to the version ofyou who needed it, or
symbolically setting somethingafloat, as the card itself
(09:42):
shows, right, with that floatingflame.
And that helps you to honor thetransition.
And elementally, the cups belongto water, which is the realm of
emotion and intuition.
But here, fire and watercoexist.
So that flame floating on thewater reminds us that endings
can be both emotional for thewater and empowering with the
(10:05):
fire, both tearful with thewater and clarifying once again
with the fire.
So this card is really invitinga sacred paradox to hold grief
and growth in the same breath,to say thank you for what this
gave me, and I am ready to goanyway.
(10:26):
So I want to invite you to acouple of reflection questions.
Where are you staying out ofloyalty, fear, or habit rather
than alignment?
(10:48):
Can you leave something behindwith love instead of resentment?
Remember, the Eight of Cupsisn't about rejection.
It's about redirection.
It's the courage to trust thatmeaning doesn't vanish when you
move on.
It travels with you, nowdistilled into wisdom.
(11:10):
So this week, let this cardremind you that it's okay to
outgrow things you once prayedfor.
It's okay to walk away beforethe applause stops.
It's okay to leave with love.
The act of walking away isn'tabandonment, it's evolution.
And sometimes the bravest thingwe can do is turn towards the
(11:31):
unknown with an open heart andsay, I'm ready to find myself
again.
So take this step, even if yourhands tremble, even if the cups
are still warm, because the sunis rising and your next chapter
is waiting.
Thank you for spending this timewith me today.
(11:51):
For more reflections and acloser look at the cards
themselves, you can find me onInstagram at the
underscorecardcast or novelnotasha on Substack.
I'll see you in the nextepisode.
Hi there, and welcome to the Cardcast.
I'm Minutes, and I'm so gladyou're here.
Together, we explore the art ofnoticing.
(00:40):
And let's see what today's cardhas to offer.
This week, we turn to one of themost hauntingly beautiful cards
in the tarot, which is the Eightof Cups.
And we're using the Lightseer'starot today.
In the image, we see a lonefigure who walks away beneath a
(01:02):
fading sky.
Behind them, a line of cups,once full, are now left behind.
And ahead, distant mountains andthe first just light of dawn.
Behind the figure, one cup stillburns.
There's a small fire floating inthe water, the last ember of
something that once mattereddeeply.
(01:26):
This is not a card of endings somuch as it's a card of honest
departures.
The moment when you realize thatstaying would mean shrinking.
The Eight of Cups is quiet, butit's not gentle.
The figure is walking alone,which suggests solitude, but not
(01:47):
despair.
And it's the moment afterclarity when the truth has
settled in and there's no goingback.
Boy, do I feel this card rightnow.
The cups represent emotionalinvestments, our relationships,
careers, roles, identities,things we've poured our time and
our care and our hope into.
(02:10):
The water mirrors the emotionallandscape, reflective but heavy
and rippled by the choice tomove on.
And then I mentioned that smallfloating flame.
That's the paradox of grief andcourage coexisting.
Something ending yet stillglowing with meaning.
It's the reminder that leavingwhat no longer fits doesn't
(02:34):
extinguish love or gratitude.
It just honors growth.
The horizon on the card, bathedin that early light, signals
transition.
We don't yet know where we'reheaded, only that we can't stay
where we've been.
The Eight of Cups speaks to thatsubtle but unmistakable tension
between your outer life and yourinner truth.
(02:57):
That moment when you realizethat what once fueled you now
quietly drains you.
(03:42):
And there's just, like I said,there's just something that's
just not enough anymore.
So in behavioral psychology,this is called that cognitive
emotional mismatch.
So when your actions andenvironment and relationships no
(04:03):
longer align with your deeperneeds and values.
I know for me it feels dramaticbecause it's happening
internally, and that inneralchemy always feels dramatic.
But typically for me and formany others, it usually begins
quietly.
So you start to feel it in thesesmall but ordinary ways.
(04:25):
You wake up already tired, eventhough you slept fine.
You find yourself scrollinginstead of engaging.
You dread conversations thatused to excite you.
Your patience runs thin inplaces that once made you feel
proud.
Or you show up to meeting yoursocial events smiling, but
(04:47):
inside you feel like you'rewatching yourself perform a
version of who you used to be.
At work, it might look likedoing great things that no
longer feel meaningful.
Meeting goals that once thrilledyou could leave you feeling
flat.
So you're still achieving, butit doesn't register as
fulfillment anymore.
(05:08):
And in relationships, it mightlook like nodding along to keep
the peace, even when your truthsits heavy in your throat, or
realizing that you're spendingmore energy maintaining harmony
than feeling connection.
And I know for me, and thentypically this of course can
happen for others, is that evencreativity feels different.
(05:30):
The ideas are there, but thespark isn't.
And then you might feel guiltyor not feeling like you're
grateful, even though youshould.
So that's the mismatch.
The external self and theinternal self have drifted
apart.
Over time, this misalignment canmanifest as burnout, as
(05:52):
irritability, or emotionalnumbness.
So you're not broken, you'rejust out of sync.
Your nervous system is trying totell you this version of life no
longer fits.
Walking away, though painful, isan act of regulation.
It's a way of restoringpsychological coherence.
(06:16):
When you've been holding on toolong to a role, to a dream, a
relationship, an identity, youstart to split inside.
One part of you keeps showing upbecause it's familiar,
responsible, or even expected.
And the other part of youwhispers, this isn't working
anymore.
And that tug of war createstension that slowly seeps into
(06:40):
everything.
You'll start to notice it inyour mood, in your focus, in
your energy, and even in yoursense of self.
You start to feel restless, evenin stillness.
You can't relax on your daysoff.
You catch yourself zoning outmid-conversation or resenting
things you used to enjoy.
And your smile still works, butit doesn't reach as far as it
(07:03):
used to.
And those are signs of thisinner dissonance.
Your mind and your heart are outof sync.
In psychology, regulation meansreturning to balance.
So that's bringing yourthoughts, emotions, and
behaviors back into alignment.
And sometimes the mostregulating thing you can do
isn't to breathe through it orfix it or reframe it.
(07:26):
Those things can certainly bemitigation techniques.
But sometimes the mostregulating thing is to walk away
from what's breaking you, what'sbreaking your peace.
So leaving, like I mentionedearlier, it doesn't mean you
stop caring.
It means that you've stoppedoverriding yourself.
(07:46):
It's choosing integrity overimage and alignment over
approval.
And there's always grief in itbecause in every ending, even
the right ones, they all costsomething.
You'll miss the routine, theidentity, the comfort.
But there's a kind of peace thatcomes the moment you stop
(08:07):
negotiating with something thatisn't working.
That moment right there isregulation.
That's the body unclenching, themind exhaling, and the spirit
remembering what truth feelslike.
The moment you honor that voice,even if you don't act on it yet,
something inside you will startto settle.
(08:29):
You stop feeling like you'reliving two lives, the one
everyone sees, and then the oneyou actually feel.
And that's what coherence is: your inner and outer worlds (08:36):
undefined
finally lining up again.
So, yes, walking away can breakyour heart, but staying in
misalignment breaks your spirit.
One is pain that heals, and theother is pain that lingers.
Regulation is choosing the painthat's going to lead you home.
(09:00):
And that's the quiet power ofthis card.
It honors the emotional labor ofleaving.
Because to walk away consciouslywithout bitterness or blame is
to engage in one of the mostadvanced forms of emotional
intelligence.
On a magical level, the Eight ofCups, it's a pilgrimage.
(09:20):
It's the spiritual act ofrelease, of letting something
die beautifully.
In ritual work, this could looklike a ceremonial goodbye,
right?
Lighting a candle for whatyou're leaving, writing a letter
of gratitude to the version ofyou who needed it, or
symbolically setting somethingafloat, as the card itself
(09:42):
shows, right, with that floatingflame.
And that helps you to honor thetransition.
And elementally, the cups belongto water, which is the realm of
emotion and intuition.
But here, fire and watercoexist.
So that flame floating on thewater reminds us that endings
can be both emotional for thewater and empowering with the
(10:05):
fire, both tearful with thewater and clarifying once again
with the fire.
So this card is really invitinga sacred paradox to hold grief
and growth in the same breath,to say thank you for what this
gave me, and I am ready to goanyway.
(10:26):
So I want to invite you to acouple of reflection questions.
Where are you staying out ofloyalty, fear, or habit rather
than alignment?
(10:48):
Can you leave something behindwith love instead of resentment?
Remember, the Eight of Cupsisn't about rejection.
It's about redirection.
It's the courage to trust thatmeaning doesn't vanish when you
move on.
It travels with you, nowdistilled into wisdom.
(11:10):
So this week, let this cardremind you that it's okay to
outgrow things you once prayedfor.
It's okay to walk away beforethe applause stops.
It's okay to leave with love.
The act of walking away isn'tabandonment, it's evolution.
And sometimes the bravest thingwe can do is turn towards the
(11:31):
unknown with an open heart andsay, I'm ready to find myself
again.
So take this step, even if yourhands tremble, even if the cups
are still warm, because the sunis rising and your next chapter
is waiting.
Thank you for spending this timewith me today.
(11:51):
For more reflections and acloser look at the cards
themselves, you can find me onInstagram at the
underscorecardcast or novelnotasha on Substack.
I'll see you in the nextepisode.
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